Lee County Photos – SC Picture Projecthttp://www.sciway.net/sc-photos
The purpose of the South Carolina Picture Project is to celebrate the beauty of the Palmetto State while preserving some of its vanishing landscapes.Fri, 09 Dec 2016 14:48:17 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.6.1http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/wp-content/uploads/cropped-sciwayicon-32x32.jpgLee County Photos – SC Picture Projecthttp://www.sciway.net/sc-photos
3232Bethany Baptist Churchhttp://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/lee-county/bethany-baptist-church.html
http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/lee-county/bethany-baptist-church.html#commentsTue, 06 Oct 2015 15:11:05 +0000http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/?p=56924Many of the earliest congregations in present-day Lee County were Presbyterian thanks to the influence of Scots-Irish settlers in neighboring Williamsburg County. Yet, the Baptists were not far behind in establishing churches. While Piedmont Baptist Church (no longer extant) was the first Baptist church organized in the area in 1810, it was closely followed by other congregations such as Bethany Baptist Church, shown here.

Bethany Baptist was formed in 1828. This house of worship was built for the congregation in 1860. Renovations to the historic church were made throughout the twentieth century, in 1952, 1973, and again in 1988. Though the exterior of the Greek Revival church is now covered in vinyl, its appearance remains essentially as it did in 1960. The church’s historic graveyard rests behind the sanctuary.

We would like to make this page better. Do you have knowledge or stories about Bethany Baptist Church that you can share? If so, please send it to the South Carolina Picture Project. Thank you!

]]>http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/lee-county/bethany-baptist-church.html/feed/1Button King Museumhttp://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/lee-county/button-king-museum.html
http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/lee-county/button-king-museum.html#respondFri, 31 Jul 2015 13:48:31 +0000http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/?p=53629This roadside attraction in Bishopville was created by the self-proclaimed Button King, Dalton Stevens. Stevens began his unusual hobby while suffering from insomnia a few decades ago. He decided to distract himself from sleepless nights by sewing buttons on a suit and ended up with his first masterpiece – a suit of 16,333 buttons – 10 months later. That suit, plus many more button-covered displays, are featured within the metal building constructed by his children in 2008 to house his vivid collection. Sadly, Stevens died on Monday, November 21, 2016 at the age of 86.

Visitors to the Button King Museum will encounter everything from hearses to guitars to toilets, all garnished from top to bottom in buttons. Stevens’ skill at affixing buttons to so many articles caught the eye of television hosts such as Johnny Carson, David Letterman, and Kathie Lee Gifford, all of whom have featured him on their shows. Hi s hobby even earned Stevens a place in the Guinness Book of World Records as the owner of the world’s largest button collection of over 1 million buttons.

While entrance to the museum is free of charge, donations are welcomed. The next time you find yourself passing through Bishopville – maybe visiting the Pearl Fryar Topiary Garden – don’t pass up an opportunity to visit the one-and-only Button King Museum.

The Button King Museum invites many fond reflections. Contributor Treva Thomas Hammond shares, “When you come to the end of this country road and see The Button Museum, you have no idea what to expect when you enter the metal building. It is filled with items such as a hearse, toilet, piano, and coffins – all covered in thousands and thousands of buttons! Dalton Stevens is the Button King who put it all together. It’s a tourist attraction you won’t forget!”

Wendi Brazell, who captured one of the portraits of Stevens above, writes, “We were driving through Bishopville on a hunt for the Lizard Man when we saw a sign for the Button Museum. This man’s collection was absolutely incredible; he had everything from toilets to cars covered in buttons. This hat and guitar were featured, along with the Button King himself, on Johnny Carson. Anyone who goes to Bishopville should stop by and visit.”

Thia Beniash adds, “The Button King is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. He (Dalton Stevens) is a friendly man – 86-years-young – and still plays a button-covered guitar. He plays every Friday night for free. [This is] a museum and person worth visiting. The museum cost is donation only.”

]]>http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/lee-county/button-king-museum.html/feed/0English Cooperhttp://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/lee-county/english-cooper.html
http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/lee-county/english-cooper.html#respondFri, 06 Mar 2015 19:23:06 +0000http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/?p=48136Iron artist English Cooper maintains a gallery of his forged wares in Bishopville, the rural community where he grew up. Cooper wasn’t always an ironsmith; he began his career as a farmer and figured he would continue farming until he retired. His gift for ironwork revealed itself to Cooper later in life.

An experienced welder, Cooper discovered his talent for metal art when a friend asked him to create a stair rail. According to Cooper, he gauged the materials he would need by intuition, made the rail, and the results were beautiful. That experience led to other iron projects and eventually a gallery in downtown Bishopville within a historic hardware store. The gallery is hard to miss, as the entrance is laced with Cooper’s ironwork, enticing visitors to come inside and see more.

Cooper’s works range from functional pieces such as gates, fences, and iron spindles, seen below, to works of whimsy, as seen in the tree at the top of this page. He also does commercial and restoration work, both for businesses and individuals. He works with one assistant, and together the men have filled Cooper’s storefront, The Iron Gallery, with both decorative and utilitarian objets d’art.

Cooper has created metal work for more than 40 years and ornamental work for nearly 20. Self-taught, his art is reminiscent of another Bishopville native, Pearl Fryar. Both men happened upon their talents accidentally and are now well-known for their exquisite creations. These creations have helped make Bishopville known for its artisans as much its agriculture.

People can view Cooper’s work across the Pee Dee, from public gates, such as those in front of the James Allen Plaza in Florence (seen above), to decorative signage in downtown Latta. However, the best place to see the range of Cooper’s work – and maybe even acquire a piece for yourself – is in his Bishopville gallery.

]]>http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/lee-county/english-cooper.html/feed/0St. John’s Catholic Churchhttp://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/lee-county/st-johns-catholic-church.html
http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/lee-county/st-johns-catholic-church.html#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 17:09:02 +0000http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/?p=47803This simple church building in Bishopville was constructed in 1938 for the congregation of St. John’s Catholic Church, which was founded that same year. Today, the former church is being converted into a residence by private owners.

Do you know a story or have any information about St. John’s Catholic Church? If so, please send it to the South Carolina Picture Project. Thank you!

]]>http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/lee-county/st-johns-catholic-church.html/feed/2St. Luke Methodisthttp://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/lee-county/st-luke-methodist.html
http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/lee-county/st-luke-methodist.html#respondTue, 24 Feb 2015 17:36:10 +0000http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/?p=47781The first Methodist church in the United States was chartered in 1784, and the denomination quickly spread among European settlers in the colonies. The southern colonies were quick to adopt and spread this denomination, with many congregations initially gathering beneath brush arbors to hear itinerant ministers as they rode their preaching circuits.

The area now know as Lee County was receptive to the religion, and Rembert Church in the community of Woodrow, established in 1785, is thought to be one of the oldest Methodist churches in the country. It is no wonder that churches such as St. Luke Methodist in Elliott are abundant in this part of the state.

In 1917 the church was moved from its original location, which was likely adjacent to the church’s cemetery on nearby South Carolina Highway 341. Since then the church has been remodeled twice – in the 1940s and the 1980s. Today the church remains active, and burials are still being held in its cemetery.

Do you know a story or have any information about St. Luke Methodist Church? If so, please send it to the South Carolina Picture Project. Thank you!

]]>http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/lee-county/st-luke-methodist.html/feed/0Lee State Parkhttp://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/lee-county/lee-state-park.html
http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/lee-county/lee-state-park.html#commentsThu, 12 Feb 2015 14:20:00 +0000http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/?p=47276Like many South Carolina state parks, Lee State Park in Bishopville was built in the 1930s as project of the Civilian Conservation Corps. The park stretches across nearly 3,000 acres and sits along the scenic Lynches River. Construction on the park began around 1935 and continued for the following four years. Among the CCC’s first projects within the park were the building of picnic shelters and creating Loop Road, the park’s main thoroughfare.

Between 1935 and 1937, three cabins similar to the one seen below were added to the site. The below cabin was the fourth one erected in the park, in 1939, and called Cabin #4. Today, it is the only remaining cabin within the park and is located near the primitive campsites. The cabin is not available for overnight stays; however, there are 25 standard campsites and 23 equestrian campsites at Lee State Park. Horse lovers can also enjoy an equestrian center complete with stables and seven miles of equestrian trails.

Visitors can spend the day at Lee State Park kayaking and canoeing, and designated fishing and swimming areas provide enjoyment of the park’s Artesian Lake. The lake is named for the artesian wells created by the CCC workers. The park’s first superintendent, W.C. Lee, taught the CCC men how to drill the wells; today two such wells, including the one seen below, flow in the park 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Camping is available to all visitors year round, and water and electrical hook-up are provided. The park is home to 119 bird species, and the park’s bird guide can help visitors identify the many feathered friends who inhabit the area. Walking trails, including the boardwalk seen below, allow people to explore the natural communities that comprise Lee State Park.

Contributor Laura Kirk shares, “Lee State Park’s wetland boardwalk was built in 2007. I remember a storm getting ready to come into the park, dark skies and rumbles of thunder in the distance. The dark skies created a beautiful backdrop, highlighting the bright green color of the gum tree leaves.”

]]>http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/lee-county/lee-state-park.html/feed/1Downtown Bishopvillehttp://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/lee-county/downtown-bishopville.html
http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/lee-county/downtown-bishopville.html#respondMon, 08 Dec 2014 21:17:37 +0000http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/?p=44760The county seat of Lee County was originally called Singleton’s Crossroads after William Singleton purchased 465 acres here in 1790. Singleton and his wife then opened a tavern at the intersection of present-day Church and Main Streets, which was a stop along the stagecoach route from Georgetown to Charlotte, North Carolina. Singleton died in 1798, leaving the land to his wife, who died in 1820. Jacques Bishop then purchased the acreage in 1821, giving the area, which at the time was mostly an undeveloped forest, the name Bishopville.

Throughout the following years people eventually built more homes in Bishopville, and the area known for its fertile soil became a mecca for cotton planters. Lee County was created in 1902, and as the county seat, Bishopville has played host to a variety of downtown businesses and entertainment venues, including the Bishopville Opera House and the South Carolina Cotton Museum. Bishopville also hosts the annual Cotton Festival each year in October. The city’s town clock, seen above, keeps people on track as they stroll about through “The Garden Spot of the Carolinas.”

]]>http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/lee-county/downtown-bishopville.html/feed/0The Manorhttp://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/lee-county/the-manor.html
http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/lee-county/the-manor.html#respondWed, 20 Aug 2014 18:12:50 +0000http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/?p=39988This Neo-Classical manse in downtown Bishopville was built for successful cotton farmer and Sumter native Edward Tisdale. Four years in the making, the home was begun in 1914 but not completed until 1918. Tisdale hired Sumter architect J.H. Johnson to design the lavish home.

In the early 1900s Tisdale relocated to Bishopville from Sumter to benefit from Lee County‘s booming cotton industry. Not only did he grow the crop on his vast properties, but he also established two cotton gins in town – one on Main Street and another on Durant Street. Both were operating by 1909. The great wealth he accrued from the cotton business led to the construction of this home, which he called The Manor.

In the early 1920s cotton prices began to drop and production slowed. By 1923 neither of Tisdale’s cotton gins were in operation. Tisdale continued to suffer financially when he lost most of his savings in the stock market crash of 1929. However, he was able to remain in his home until his death in 1960. Following his death, Tisdale’s son acquired The Manor.

The Manor is one of the best examples of early twentieth-century architecture built in Bishopville. Its Neo-Classical design was the work of architect J.H. Johnson of Sumter. It was begun in 1914 but was not completely finished until 1918. The house was built by Edward Tisdale who was one of Bishopville’s leading cotton merchants of the early twentieth century. Tisdale was a farmer and businessman who lived in Sumter until the early 1900s. He moved to Bishopville during its boom years to take advantage of the growing cotton industry.

Tisdale amassed a sizeable fortune through the cotton industry by 1914 when he began his house on Main Street. The house is a two-story, rectangular brick building with a gable roof and two interior brick chimneys. On the main façade is a free standing, two-story portico with six wooden Corinthian columns. Above the columns is an entablature with round medallions in the frieze and dentils. On the roof of the portico is a balustrade and decorative railing. The interior details include coffering in the ceiling, dentils, urn and garland designs and other classical motifs. At the rear of the house are two original, one-story brick, hipped roof buildings which serve as a garage and storage area for the main house.

]]>http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/lee-county/the-manor.html/feed/0Ashwoodhttp://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/lee-county/lake-ashwood.html
http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/lee-county/lake-ashwood.html#commentsTue, 25 Feb 2014 15:28:03 +0000http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/?p=32821The Ashwood community in Lee County was developed in the 1930s as part of President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal. After the stock market crash of 1929, President Roosevelt created a plan to help impoverished Americans, particularly rural Southerners and tenant farmers, become self-sufficient. The Resettlement Administration Projects, part of the New Deal, would convert defunct farmland into workable farms owned by residents and surrounded by a community of support facilities such as schools, barns, and silos.

Parts of rural Lee County qualified for the Resettlement Project, and Ashwood was formed near Bishopville. Ashwood consisted mostly of small, independent farms and included a building that functioned as a school, a gymnasium, and a community gathering place. Lake Ashwood, seen above and at the bottom of this page, was built as part of the agricultural development of the community. Today the 75-acre lake remains a popular fishing spot.

The Ashwood School Gymnasium was built in 1938 and quickly became a place where residents could congregate for plays, concerts, community meetings, and sports after school hours. The school is no longer in operation, though the gymnasium building still serves as a community center for the people of Ashwood.

The Ashwood School Gymnasium are listed in the National Register, which adds the following:

The Ashwood School Gymnasium and Auditorium was built in 1938 to serve Ashwood Plantation, the first and largest of the Resettlement Administration (RA) project tracts in South Carolina. It is significant for the role it has played in politics and government and the social history of the Lee County community, and architecturally as an excellent and remarkably intact example of Resettlement Administration Architecture in South Carolina. It is the most significant and intact manifestation of the Ashwood resettlement project remaining in what was once a vibrant farming community.

The Ashwood community was created by the New Deal resettlement program to convert defunct plantation or farm land into a self-sustaining community of independent farms with educational, agricultural, and commercial support facilities. The building served as the school and community gymnasium for athletics, dances, and community meetings and as an auditorium for dramatic performances and films, in a rural place in the time before television and mass media. The school itself is no longer extant. As a part of the ambitious Ashwood project, the gymnasium/auditorium served an important role in the Resettlement Administration and New Deal’s goals to improve the health and education of the poorer classes, especially that of Southern tenant farmers. The simplified Colonial Revival architecture reflects a style that was popular nationwide in the 1930s, especially in government-sponsored construction, but also the economic situation of the era and the rural Southern character of its surroundings.

We would like to add more information about Ashwood, as well as a picture of the Ashwood School Gymnasium. If you can contribute either, please let us know. Thank you for helping to make the South Carolina Picture Project more complete!

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http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/lee-county/lake-ashwood.html/feed/7Dennis High Schoolhttp://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/lee-county/dennis-high-school.html
http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/lee-county/dennis-high-school.html#commentsWed, 11 Dec 2013 19:22:30 +0000http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/?p=29914Dennis School in Bishopville was built in 1936 and stood in stark contrast to its neighboring school built the same year, Bishopville High School. Constructed during the heart of segregation, Dennis was intended to serve as an elementary school for the town’s African American children, while Bishopville High School would house white high school students. Bishopville High School was built for $71,000, while Dennis School was built for $17,000. During this time county funding was widely disparate between black students and white students: white children were allotted $48.38 per student, while black children received only $5.68.

The original Dennis High School, located three blocks from the new Dennis School, was a two-story wooden building that burned to the ground before the start of the 1936-1937 school year. Displaced, the high school students were forced to share the newly-built Dennis School with the area’s elementary students for the next 12 years. Dennis School then became known as Dennis High School.

The school was significant in educating African American students in the area, as it was the only black high school in Lee County, which covers 411 square miles. As a result, many students walked long distances to Dennis High School or simply ceased their schooling after the eighth grade. During this time it was not unusual for black students of high school age to end their educations. In 1941, 19 South Carolina counties lacked high schools for black students, and only eight buses across the entire state provided black students with transportation. Due to segregation, attending high school was problematic at best and illegal at worst for a great number of South Carolina children.

In 1948 a new high school for black students was built to relieve the overcrowding that plagued Dennis High School. The Dennis High School building then became Dennis Primary School. At this time, talks of desegregation were brewing, and segregationists were well aware of these discussions. When James Byrnes became governor in 1951, he enacted the “Education Revolution” to pour funds into African American schools, hoping to dispel any opinions that black schools were inferior so that students would remain segregated as part of the Separate But Equal laws that overshadowed our nation.

In 1954 a new Dennis High School and Dennis Elementary School were built near Dennis Primary School in order to stave off school integration. Dennis Primary School was slated to receive necessary renovations, as were other black schools across the state, in legislators’ attempt to prove that South Carolina schools were equal in accommodations. A week after the construction bid was announced for Dennis Primary School, Brown Versus The Board of Education was decided in favor of desegregating all schools, and construction was suspended. However, when Governor Byrnes learned that the transition was not imminent, he allowed the schools to be renovated. Dennis Primary School received several updates, and a single classroom was added. (At this time indoor plumbing was installed; during the first 16 years, Dennis students were forced to use an outhouse.)

Lee County did not integrate its schools until 1970. At that time Dennis High School, which had served black students of varying grades for over 30 years, ceased operation. Today the school building serves a the Dennis Community Center.

Dennis High School, constructed in 1936, is significant for its importance in the education of African-Americans in Bishopville and Lee County and for its representation of the inequalities of South Carolina’s “separate but equal” educational system. In addition, the renovation of Dennis High School in 1954 is an excellent example of the state’s efforts to change these perceptions during the “Brown vs. Board of Education” era. In 1936, two new schools were constructed in Bishopville. Bishopville High School was built for the white students at a cost of about $71,000 and was designed by noted architect Henry Dudley Harrall.

Dennis High School was constructed by Edgeworth and McBride Contractors of Cheraw for Bishopville’s black students. It was built at a cost of $17,500 on land donated by local philanthropist Rebecca Dennis. The similarities between the design of the two schools suggest that Harrall had some hand in the design of Dennis High School also. The original Classical Revival style school building is an L-shaped, one-story, load-bearing red brick structure that rests on a masonry foundation. Recessed symmetrical wings flank the main block. A third wing, which gave the building its original L-shape, houses the auditorium. In 1954, a single classroom addition was built on the northern end of the rear elevation.